Complete Guide: Back To School

It is that time of year again… back to school time for our children! After a long, lazy Summer full of days by the pool and relaxing, the return to school can seem especially busy. There are ways to adjust easier though, more on that here. Using some simple resources can help you transition from Summer into the back to school routine and create a fun, organized year ahead.

I know that not all schools require uniforms, but my children have only gone to schools that do require them. My oldest is in fourth grade this year and I have tried a lot of different uniform brands.

I do not like to over buy because I have found that my children won’t wear it all enough for me to spend money on it. We buy enough tops and bottoms to last throughout the year, but not so much that it isn’t being used. After four years, I have finally found the perfect amount of each item to get for my children.

I use a checklist to do my uniform shopping. This allows me to make sure that I am set for the entire year and won’t have to hunt down a uniform when they are out of season. My daughter stained half of her shirts by Winter break a couple of years ago and I had such a hard time finding new uniform shirts in her size and color.

Another thing I think is important every year is to get to know some things about your child’s teacher. They will be around your child as much, if not more than you will be for the next nine months. Getting to know their likes and dislikes ensures gift giving throughout the year will be even more meaningful. Aside from that though, it shows that you are interested in them as a person and can create a good relationship between you both.

I like to print one for each of my children’s teachers and send them during the first week of school to be filled out. I keep them for the entire year because they come in handy during holidays, birthdays, and teacher appreciation week.

Keeping track of your child’s daily schedule and any important school information is also necessary. If you have to schedule a doctor’s appointment then you can make sure it is during lunch or recess, rather than an important class.

You can help them plan which extracurricular activities would work with their current class workload. The older your child gets the more likely they will be in multiple difficult classes each semester, during these semesters taking on several after school activities would do more harm than good.

If you know what their workload is and take an active role in monitoring this, it can prevent a lot of grumpiness, exhaustion and slipping grades.